The present invention relates to sound reproduction generally, and particularly to a loudspeaker system and method for reproducing sound which decreases the localizability of the sound radiated by the loudspeaker's transducers and which enhances stereophonic or polyphonic perception.
Ideally sound reproduced through a loudspeaker would sound like the original source--a listener does not want to hear the loudspeaker but the source accurately and realistically recreated by the loudspeaker. This means that ideally the sound produced by the loudspeaker would have a spatial dimension or quality in that the listener would perceive the sound as being distributed in space as it would be if the source were heard directly. Unfortunately, a conventional problem with loudspeaker systems is the tendency of the sound produced by the loudspeaker systems to be localized at the loudspeakers themselves or imaged at a point relative to the loudspeakers.
Many different types of driver mechanisms have been employed to generate sound in loudspeaker systems. For example, horns, direct radiators, electrostatics, ribbons, and different systems have been used. Also, different loudspeaker systems have created different sound pressure patterns, such as unidirectional, bidirectional, multidirectional, cylindrical, and spherical, with the common feature that a lobe of maximum non-reflected sound pressure is generally directed at the intended listener. Despite the various approaches to sound reproduction, the problem of localization, and the related problems of providing true stereophonic or polyphonic effects, continues to be a persistent one.
The present invention provides a sound radiating system and method which substantially overcomes the localization problem by providing a unique approach in the manner in which the sound produced by the loudspeakers is radiated to the listener. It has been found that the hereinafter described aspects of the invention produce in the listener an enhanced sense of sound distribution and a decreased awareness that the sound is coming from speakers. The invention also provides for improved control over the characteristics of the audio information provided to the listener for improving the accuracy in the reproduced sound.